The Right Stuff at the Right Time
October 19, 2012
By Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
MHSAA Championship history is filled with unforgettable moments for participants and spectators alike. Every now and then, the contest on the biggest stage delivers the cliche’ finish of everyone's dreams: close game, final seconds, trophy on the line, someone’s gotta win, someone’s gotta lose.
For the three teams out there, it’s as exciting as it gets. Yes, three teams. For every classic crunch-time moment, there are officials who have earned the right to share that moment with the participants.
Following, benchmarks reflects on two such moments from the viewpoints of those in stripes.
Ford Field, Detroit, Nov. 24, 2006
Muskegon (13-0) vs. Warren DeLaSalle (11-2)
At Stake: MHSAA Division 2 Football Title
Officials: Referee Charles Sprang (3rd MHSAA Final); Umpire Mike Wallace (1st); Linesman Troy Miller (2nd); Line Judge Reginald Smith (1st); Back Judge Trenton Withrow (1st)
THE MOMENT: DeLaSalle trails 32-30 with time running out, when QB Brian Lewis completes a slant pass to Don Fowler. Fowler is into the clear and headed for the end zone when he is hit by Muskegon’s Ronald Johnson at the 4-yard line, and stretches for the end zone. The ball pops loose, Fowler’s knee goes down, and Muskegon’s Bobby Miller recovers the ball in the end zone within a few furious seconds. The Big Reds get the ball, the undefeated season, and the championship.
Withrow: “They were in a hurry-up on the last drive and the game, which was fast-paced the entire time, got even faster. When the receiver got into the open, I knew I had to get back to the goal line and keep my eyes on the play. That was the first thing on my mind; if I don’t get to the goal line, I can’t make that call.
“Immediately after I made the call (correctly, a fumble and touchback), I just remember chills down my spine, the DeLaSalle kids trying to argue that he was down, and hoping I got it right. We don’t have the luxury of replay. It was a bang-bang call; knee coming down, lost ball, goal line right there.”
Smith: “As the play took place, I was telling myself not to rush, but be precise in my call. Just move in to box the play with Trent and watch for the ball at all times as the play developed.”
Sprang: “I did not see the fumble as I was about 60 yards up field. I got to Trent and said, ‘What do you have?’ Trent said, ‘Touchback.’ Mike Wallace asked, ‘Are you sure?’ Trent never wavered and said, ‘He never got in the end zone with the ball. It was out at the 1.’ I asked again, ‘Are you sure?’ Trent said, ‘No doubt.’ Trent, as I saw on film, was in perfect position. That call was the game and he nailed it.”
Miller: “It was great that Reggie and Trent spent very little time communicating and they had the same ruling. Being on the Warren DeLaSalle sideline, I explained to the head coach what we had and there was really no reaction, as I believe he saw exactly what Trent had seen, and knew that Trent was in great position.”
Wallace: “I just remember seeing the play from a distance as I was the umpire. I saw the call and just said to myself, ‘I hope that was the right call.’ I didn't have any doubt, but just didn't want a call missed at that point in the game. The call was so smooth, as if he had made the call a hundred times.
“Moments afterward I just remember telling him ‘That was a heck-of-a-call,’ and I was not even sure if he got it right or not.”
Withrow: “I’ll never forget when Mike came running down the field, he said, ‘That’s why I’m glad I’m the umpire; so I don’t have to make that call.’
“Chuck and I discussed it, and he just wanted to make sure of what I saw; I told him exactly what happened, and then he repeated the signal.”
Sprang: “At every opportunity, we talked about ‘staying in the game.’ Muskegon had a two touchdown lead twice in the game and DeLaSalle fought back each time to either tie or go ahead. I am not sure if Mike Wallace had a crystal ball, but he said, ‘One play is gonna win this game, be ready.’”
Miller: “I remember walking up the tunnel going back to the locker room and walking past a reporter from one of the Detroit papers and having him say, ‘Nice job guys, that was a great call.’”
Sprang: “I knew at that point Trent had it right and the replay only confirmed it. When I saw the replay, it sure was a great feeling to see that ball pop out at the 1-yard line and Trent on the goal line with his bean bag. He made four other guys on the field that day look very, very good.”
Withrow: “Looking at the replay, I was surprised my bean bag came out, because I didn't remember that during the play. It’s a reaction, and I just relied on mechanics. If you do all the right things mechanically, you’ll be in position to make the calls, and it certainly paid off at that moment.”
Wallace: “In the locker room it felt like we just went 15 rounds with Apollo Creed and we were still standing. We knew that we all worked hard, concentrated and nailed it. Maybe it was just that one call, but it was an incredible feeling of success that you strive for when you officiate.”
Breslin Center, East Lansing, March 27, 1999
Muskegon Western Michigan Christian (25-2) vs. Detroit City (22-3)
At Stake: MHSAA Class D Boys Basketball Title
Officials: Dick Kalahar (4th MHSAA Boys Final), Mike Robillard (2nd), Tim Belt (1st)
THE MOMENT: Game tied, clock ticking down, as Muskegon Western Michigan Christian’s Nick Bultema uses a screen and goes airborne to launch a last-second three-point shot. The ball is tipped by Detroit City’s Michael Williams, but momentum takes his body into Bultema’s before the shooter reaches the floor. Foul. 0:00 on the clock. Bultema makes the second free throw, and secures the title.
Kalahar: “I was the trail official, and as the clock was winding down I was looking for a three-point shot, as Detroit City’s defense on the inside was very good. As the player (Bultema) attempted the shot, a very big Detroit City player tried to block the shot. The WMC shooter was still in the air after releasing the ball, when the Detroit City player contacted the shooter and drove him into the table at press row.
“I made a foul call on the Detroit City player just before the horn went off. Before I went to the table to report the foul, I met with Mike and Tim to confirm the foul was called before time ran out. We all agreed there would be three shots given to the WMC player.”
Robillard: “I knew going into the game I was with two outstanding officials, and we would handle any situations that might occur. As the game was getting into the final minutes I was hoping for overtime because both teams had competed so hard and the game had such a great flow.”
Kalahar: “I reported the foul and explained to the table what we were going to do. I also called both head coaches together to explain what the call was and how we would proceed. Both coaches were gentlemen.”
Robillard: “As the end of the game approached, our crew communication was outstanding. We knew we had to be out on the perimeter and protect the shooters. So when the left-handed shooter pulled up behind the three-point arc, both Dick and I had him booked in. It was Dick's primary, but I was doubling back to protect the backside of the shooter. As soon as the defender ran into the shooter, Dick nailed the whistle.”
Kalahar: “Experience always helps. Trying to anticipate what might happen as well as good concentration in a game like this comes with experience. Having two good partners is also a key.
“As we entered the locker room, much to my surprise, Jack Roberts, Nate Hampton and Tom Minter of the MHSAA office were there. I will always remember their support. Our crew then talked about the game, and felt we gave the teams a good game. Mike or Tim told me they thought the last call took courage and they were proud to be a part of this crew.
“I had some very anxious moments the first time I saw the replay. As officials, we always want to get the call right, especially in a game like this. I've seen it many times, and to this day I believe the right and fair call was made.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Warren DeLaSalle's Don Fowler loses control of the ball just before reaching the goalline during the 2006 Division 2 Final at Ford Field. (Middle) Muskegon Western Michigan Christian's Nick Bultema is about to be engulfed by a teammate moments after sinking the winning free throw during the 1999 Class D Final at the Breslin Center.
NOTE: This is the fourth installment in the series "Making – and Answering – the Call" detailing the careers and service of MHSAA officials. Click the links below to view the others.
Referee Camaraderie: Bloopers, 'Nerding' Out, Lots of Laughs Create Powerful Bond
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
February 13, 2024
KALAMAZOO — When it comes to blooper highlights, four MHSAA hockey officials don’t hesitate to share their miscues.
One of them, Bob Corak, even has his pratfalls set to music on an internet site called Zebras with Pucks.
Laughter is the sound of the day when the four gather every Tuesday after their yoga class at Nisker’s Char-Grill & Slap Shot Hockey Bar in Kalamazoo.
The camaraderie between Corak, Corey Butts, Nick Schrippa and Nat Swanson is evident, but the tone gets more serious once the talk turns to officiating.
“We’ve all played, we’ve all coached to some extent, but officiating is just what speaks to us,” Schrippa said. “That’s our niche.
“Every player on the ice has a fan in the stands. Every player on the ice has support on the bench. We’re the only support we have in the arena. We’re the only ones we can lean on. We’re kind of on an island.”
Most times the friends are part of different four-man crews made up of two referees and two linesmen for South Central High School Hockey League games. But that just gives them more to talk about when they get together on Tuesdays.
“We spend an hour every Tuesday with Bob’s wife (Susan) just kicking the crap out of us and then come to (Nisker’s) to debrief,” Schrippa said. Susan Corak runs Be Well Yoga and Fitness in Kalamazoo.
"We never talk about the workout. Somebody will bust out a phone and we’ll go over a video and we’ll talk about a situation, talk about rule differences,” he continued. “We are nerds to the nth degree, and that’s just how we’re wired.”
Yoga is a good way to keep in shape, the four friends agree.
“I’m a little older than most of the referees I meet,” said Corak, who retired after 35 years with Pfizer in information technology. "It keeps me limber, keeps me in shape to an extent, not a lot of cardio but the strength is there that we get from yoga, especially the core, plus injury prevention.
“If I’m not skating, I’m officiating or I’m working the books for the association (Kalamazoo Ice Hockey Officials Association).”
Corak assists in the scheduling, billing, etc., leading Schrippa to quip: “Remember when Bob said he did information technology? We take full advantage of that. He is, in fact, the glue that holds a lot of our shenanigans together. He really is.”
Referees vs. Linesmen
Butts and Corak prefer wearing the referees’ armbands, while Schrippa and Swanson like working the lines.
“’I’m a smaller guy,” said Butts, who has been officiating for 14 years. “Linesmen typically tend to be 6-foot-5. When you’re smaller than most of the players, it doesn’t work out well.
“I like the freedom to be able to get out of the way. It’s a high traffic area as a linesman.”
When not spending evenings officiating, Butts is the penalty box timekeeper for the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings home games. His day job as a third-party examiner for the state of Michigan means he gives driving tests, and that leads to some interesting conversations.
“I’ve given most of (the players) their driver’s licenses,” he said. “I’ve had a group of players in the middle of a high school hockey game, getting ready to drop the puck at the start of the third period, and they’re trying to schedule a driver’s test for the next day. I’m like, ‘Guys, not now. Talk to me after work.’”
Swanson is the newest of the quartet, moving to the area three years ago from Syracuse, N.Y., where he started officiating at age 11.
He is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force International Guard in Battle Creek flying MQ-9 Reaper Drones.
“I like refereeing better (than being a linesman) because I like managing the game and look at the big picture,” Swanson said. “Sometimes it’s great to be a linesman because they get to communicate with the players, crack jokes and sometimes throw the referee under the bus, ‘Yeah, I agree that was a terrible call. But you’ve got to move on.’”
All four also officiate college and youth hockey, which can lead to a dilemma.
“Those are all different rule books, so we don’t have to know just one set of rules,” Schrippa said. “None of them are what you see on TV.
“While we have a couple hundred people in the building who are yelling at us that we got it wrong because that’s what they saw on ESPN, that’s not how it works. So not only do we have to know the rules, we have to know the differences in the rules.”
With mentorship programs available, some current prep players are also officials for younger leagues.
“They’re learning, we’re teaching them,” Corak said. “We have games with them as officials, then we’ll officiate their games when they play for their schools.”
Swanson added: “I think that makes them better players because they understand the rules, where they can bend rules and where they can’t.”
That is what led Schrippa to officiating.
“(Late referee) Mike Martin was officiating a game and pulled me aside,” he said. “I was 22 years old and he asked if I wanted to become a ref.
“‘(Heck) you’ve broken all the rules,’ he told me. ‘You probably know most of them already. He wasn’t wrong. I talked to a couple friends who had done it, and they talked me into doing it 29 seasons ago. I fell in love with it.”
Fun with bloopers
All four laugh as they regale each other with their funniest and most embarrassing moments.
For Schrippa, it was the college game where he made his refereeing debut.
“I was given the rookie lap,” he said. “I was jazzed. I came out of the gate, turned left, went around the back of the net, got to the blue line, caught a toe pick and Supermanned, slid from the blue line to the top of the next faceoff circle and was soaked because the ice hadn’t set yet.
“I got a standing ovation from the few hundred fans that were in the rink. Both my linesmen were doubled over laughing. It was a very cold first period.”
Something similar happened to Swanson.
“I was taking a hot lap, not seeing they’ve got a carpet out for somebody, hitting the carpet and Supermanning,” he recalled. “Then having a linesman watch you do it as there’s a few hundred people in the stands and give a big washout sign.”
Butts and Swanson had moments that actually delayed the start of a game.
For Butts, “I forgot my pants because I washed them separate and my wife had to bring them to me, and we could not start the game until my pants arrived,” he said, while the others laughed and nodded in agreement.
Swanson actually found himself at the wrong rink one time.
“I’m like, ‘Where is everybody?’” he said. “My phone starts ringing. ‘Hey dude, game starts in 15 minutes. You going to be here? Uh, yes, in 20.’’’
The four agree most officials go through highs and lows, funny times and embarrassing times, and that’s one thing that brings them all together.
“What’s unique about what we do is I could meet another official from Sweden tomorrow who I’ve never met before, and within minutes we’ve already got that relationship,” said Schrippa, who is the Southwest Michigan communications representative for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
“That’s something we all share, we all know that feeling, we all understand that bond and it just takes a second. It’s so neat, it’s powerful.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) MHSAA hockey officials, from left: Nick Schrippa, Bob Corak, Nat Swanson and Corey Butts get together recently for one of their weekly hangouts. (2) Schrippa makes a call. (3) Corak, center, confers with a group of players. (4) Swanson prepares to drop the puck. (5) Butts monitors the game action. (Top photo by Pam Shebest; following photos provided by respective officials.)